Crackdown in Yorkshire
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• Heavy truck traffic is to go under the microscope at North Yorkshire County Council as it moves to reduce the impact of haulage on rural roads.
The action is seen as another anti-truck step from North Yorkshire, which last week asked the Association of County Councils to push the Government for powers to fight rail-toroad freight transfers (CM 18-24 June).
Following agreement by the county council's committees for highways and transportation, planning and two national parks, North Yorks CC will scruntinise hauliers' plans for setting up operating centres and industrial sites.
It will also survey traffic levels within the A 1/A19/A64 triangle and is considering weight limits to stamp out rat-runs through the area.
Assistant county surveyor Chris Millns says: "Planning authorities may refuse planning because of suspected HGV problems, or they may say it would be acceptable if materials such as mineral extractions are taken to and from the site by rail." Freight trans-shipment centres, which run smaller vehicles to towns, are to be encouraged.
"I'm sure other county highway authorities will want to get involved in the same process," says Millns. "We want to get involved at an early stage, if there are site plans, to minimise any transportation problems which may occur."
The county accepts it cannot prevent an increase in HGV traffic, but stresses it is trying to minimise the worst effects by making sure hauliers choose new sites which are close to the trunk road network.
North Yorkshire's request to the ACC for increased powers over rail-to-road transfers follows an attempt by British Steel to shift 9,000 tonnes of limestone a week to road transport on a 35km route to its Redcar Steelworks.